Super U Podcast | Turning Adversity into Innovation with Rebel Cheese’s Kirsten Maitland
In this inspiring episode of the Super U Podcast, Kirsten Maitland shares her remarkable journey from a difficult childhood in England to becoming the co-founder and CEO of Rebel Cheese — one of Time Magazine’s Best Innovations of 2025.
Kirsten opens up about growing up in foster care, joining the U.S. Navy at 16, building a successful career in tech consulting, and ultimately leaving it all behind to pursue a mission-driven business with her husband. She takes listeners behind the scenes of their unforgettable Shark Tank experience, including the intense pitch preparation, the emotional rollercoaster of filming, and what it was really like landing a deal with Mark Cuban.
The conversation also dives into entrepreneurship during COVID, scaling an e-commerce business from scratch, the future of AI and search, and why 74% of Rebel Cheese customers aren’t even vegan.
This episode is packed with lessons on resilience, innovation, leadership, and betting on yourself when everyone else says it won’t work.
Super U Podcast | Turning Adversity into Innovation with Rebel Cheese
Episode Preview:
“So you’re back in a waiting room forever — hours and hours. It’s torture. You’re all staying in the same hotel because they tell you where to stay the night before, and you can feel the tension in the hotel. Like I said, it’s all companies getting ready to pitch on Shark Tank, and everyone’s stressed out. You hear everybody practicing their pitches in their rooms, in the hallways, and on the buses when they’re transporting you around. So much tension.”
“Do they pay for your flights out there, though?”
“Yeah. Then they pick you up early in the morning and take you to the studio. They have rooms where you wait, and you’re just waiting and waiting. And it’s the same thing — you hear all the other companies practicing their pitches, you’re practicing your pitch, and then it’s a lot of waiting. Then they take you to the studio, and you’re waiting again, standing outside the door. It’s just… yeah.
So you’re completely in your head while you’re waiting, thinking about everything, and practicing everything over and over again. You really just want to go in and get it done, but that’s not how it happens.”
“And at this point, you still haven’t taken on any money, or have you taken out a loan from the bank?”
“No, we did get a PPP, which was life-saving. Yeah. We were lucky to get that. We were one of the last ones — our banker helped us. And that was life-saving.”
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The Super U Podcast is hosted by #1 bestselling author and AI Keynote Speaker Erik Qualman.
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